Organized crime and the police

You might not agree with the conclusions of this article on the Federal investigation of Fergusuon, but it's difficult to hear some of the evidence presented without drawing similar conclusions: a group based on money, a victim group targeted for revenue, and a gang of thugs that maintain the flow.

It's not terribly different from organized crime, which -- interesting note -- is also very racist.  Whether the mafia and Italians or yakuza and Japanese, you can't be a member if you're not genetically "superior" and it's harder to be a victim when you're one of the in-group.

Or a more amusing take.

Entertainment for rent

This article starts with the dumbest of headlines "milenilas don't buy things" and, as almost every article on Milenials takes a little data and makes some tedious "they're totally different" conclusions.  Thankfully here we get to dig further into maybe the deepest of concepts I've seen in a while: the notion around a death of ownership.

I've struggled with ownership as I try to buy MP3s or movies: I'm constantly frustrated I don't have the room, a way to track it, a way to catalog it, etc.  Worse, my tastes change over time and I have a ton of stuff I no longer care about. For example, neither NIN nor the Deftones resonate with me and my efforts to get and catalog all that (formerly) great material is for naught. I have a TON of digital media and it's getting harder to put ANYWHERE. You of course can't sell it, just delete it if you don't care anymore and then only if you've run out of space on your drive.

Companies and consumers are increasingly renting out access to a catalog (Netflix, Spotify) that's much more intelligent and easier to manage. Plus, everyone gets paid where, with my system, sometimes the content makers don't have an easy way to get money for their work.

[Note: an earlier version of this article was obviously rushed and haphazard.  It has since been cleaned up.]

Samantha Bee leaves the Daily Show

Easily my favorite correspondent and the best part of that show.

Chris rock on baseball

Maybe the only interesting thing I've seen about baseball in years.

How to deal with really difficult topics

Samantha Bee of the Daily Show helps us manage when things get tough.

Overview of compost

I've been trying to get some time to write up a lengthy article on some of the composting work I've been doing on the side, but in the meantime here's a great article on the topic (thanks Silver).

This goes into a lot of outdoor tools for composting but there are tons of great indoor ones.

Ghost in the Shell soundtrack by Kenji Kawai - live

With some of the news surrounding a live action version of what many consider some of the best to come form Japanese anime, a few more things from the original film are showing up.  I caught this bit from the music accompanying the film.  I don't know if you have to be a fan of the original, but I was amazed by the tremendous live performance.  Just awe-inspiring.

How to email

So much of my job is email and so many messages get sent inside my company that it's very easy to get your message lost.  It's the first thing I try to spend time with new employees on.

So here's an ultra simple breakdown that unfortunately people at my company would really benefit from, and a more advanced "10 habits" format article.

Mechanics hate him!

Drawing from the rationale behind many anti-vaccination proponents, an argument has been crafted against the evils of brakes on cars.

I'm convinced.

"Protect" Internet Freedom

An anti-net neutrality video packed with suggestions that once the government starts regulating the Internet, there's no end to it.  When really it's just Comcast who wants to charge extra for high bandwidth services.

Just look at the number of dislikes and the fact that the comments are disabled.  Or (at least at the time of this posting) check out all the people who signed the petition (scroll way down).

More on this.

How to go to outdoor shows - Part 1: Possessions

Background: The first in a series of my system for going to shows, usually of the outdoor or late night variety.  I've been to probably 50+ at this stage and have refined it to a process.
 
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What to take

Keep items in your pocket to an absolute minimum. A $20, some $1s for a vending machine, and your ID. I wouldn't even take my wallet. Make sure keys are attached to you in some format (D-ring /  or whatever).



Take a cheapy flashlight of some kind with you. SO many times I've been in some dark area and someone dropped something and phone light was just NOT enough to see it. Or stuck in some back hallway or a dance floor where you just couldn't see anything. A flashlight is a great signal to get people to move out of the way if you need to leave quickly and it's also a great way to get the staff's attention if something's genuinely wrong (e.g. someone passes out or gets a bloody nose on the dance floor).



If you must take a weapon of any kind, make sure it's of the very small variety e.g. a tiny Swiss Army knife things with a blade that's as low key as possible. Ideally carry something that looks like a pen.

Next: Part 2: Dress

Great bits from Conan

• Tig Notaro
• Conan hangs out with his interns

My 3rd and favorite (I was waiting on a minimum of 3 to post about it) unfortunately got zapped :-(

"How much money do you have in the car?"

I'm not a lawyer but from now on I might be less than truthful if the cops ask me that question.

Maher on war cravings

Bill Maher talks about the media (and the public's) reaction to things that seem immediate, dangerous, and important vs. what's distant, difficult, and far more important.